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How to Run a Slideshow by Day and Let Your iPad Sleep at Night

Set your iPad to play a photo slideshow during the day and go dark at night, then have it wake up and start the slideshow again every morning using a simple Shortcuts automation.

How to Run a Slideshow by Day and Let Your iPad Sleep at Night

One of the most common questions I get about Digital Photo Frame goes something like this: "I set up a schedule so the slideshow stops at night, but the screen just goes black and the backlight stays on. It dims if I turn on auto-dim, but it never truly sleeps. I don't want to close the app, because then it won't start again in the morning. Is there a way to let the iPad sleep at night and wake itself back up?"

It is a great question, and the answer is yes. Here is exactly how I set it up on my own iPad.

Why the Screen Stays Lit

When a schedule ends, the slideshow stops, but the app is still running in the foreground. As long as an app is on screen, iPad keeps the display awake. That is why the backlight stays on even after your photos disappear. Apple does not allow an app to put the device to sleep on its own, and it does not allow an app to launch itself back up either.

The trick is to combine two things:

• The app's own schedule, with a setting that makes Digital Photo Frame quit when the schedule ends. Once the app quits, iPad locks and the screen goes dark, exactly like putting it to sleep.
• A Shortcuts automation, which reopens the app and starts the slideshow at a set time every morning. This is the piece that "wakes" the iPad and brings your photos back.

Set both up once and your iPad runs a slideshow all day, sleeps quietly at night, and starts again on its own the next morning. Let's walk through it.

Part 1: Set the Schedule and Let the App Quit at Night

Step 1: Open Settings

From the main Digital Photo Frame screen, tap the gear icon in the top left corner to open Settings.

Step 2: Go to Slideshow settings

In Settings, tap Slideshow. This is where all of your playback and automation options live.

Step 3: Open Slideshow Schedule

Scroll down to the Automation section and tap Slideshow Schedule. This lets you start and stop your slideshow automatically at set times and on the days you choose.

Step 4: Set your hours and turn on Exit App When Schedule Ends

Add a schedule for the hours you want your photos on display. In my case I use 08:00 to 22:00, every day. Then turn on Exit App When Schedule Ends. This is the key step: when the schedule finishes at night, the app closes, the iPad locks, and the screen goes fully dark instead of sitting there lit up.

That takes care of the night. At 22:00 the slideshow stops, the app quits, and your iPad rests. Now let's make it wake up on its own in the morning.

Part 2: Wake the iPad and Start the Slideshow Every Morning

For this part we use Apple's built in Shortcuts app. We will create a Time of Day automation that opens Digital Photo Frame and starts the slideshow at the hour you choose.

Step 5: Open the Shortcuts app

Find the Shortcuts app on your Home Screen and open it. It comes preinstalled on every iPad.

Step 6: Go to the Automation tab

In the sidebar, tap Automation. This is where automations that run on their own, like a daily timer, are created.

Step 7: Create a new automation

Tap New Automation to begin.

Step 8: Choose Time of Day

Pick Time of Day as the trigger. This makes the automation run at the same time every day.

Step 9: Set the wake up time

Set the time you want your slideshow to begin. I match it to my schedule start, so I use 08:00. Choose Daily under Repeat, then tap Next in the top right.

Step 10: Turn on Run Immediately

Select Run Immediately so the automation runs without asking you to confirm each morning. Leave Notify When Run off if you do not want a daily notification. Tap Next.

Step 11: Search for the Photo Frame action

In the action search box, type Photo Frame. Digital Photo Frame includes a full set of Shortcuts actions.

Step 12: Add Start Slideshow

Tap Start Slideshow. This action opens Digital Photo Frame and begins playing your photos automatically. (You will also see Random Slideshow, Pause, Resume, and more, in case you want a different behavior.)

Step 13: You are done

Your automation now reads "At 08:00, daily, Start Slideshow." Every morning at that time, your iPad wakes, opens Digital Photo Frame, and starts the slideshow on its own.

Putting It All Together

With both pieces in place, here is what a full day looks like:

1. At 08:00 the Shortcuts automation wakes your iPad and starts the slideshow.
2. Your photos play all day long, exactly as scheduled.
3. At 22:00 the schedule ends, the app quits, and your iPad locks and goes dark.
4. The next morning it all begins again, with no need to touch a thing.

A Few Extra Tips

• Keep your iPad plugged in so it never runs out of power, especially if it lives on a shelf or a stand.
• Match your automation time to your schedule start time so the two work in sync.
• During the day, set Auto-Lock to Never in the iOS Settings so the display never dims while your photos are showing.
• If you want a gentler wake up, you can point the automation at Random Slideshow instead of Start Slideshow for a shuffled order each day.
• You can create a second automation for a different time if your weekdays and weekends follow different rhythms.

This is the exact setup I use at home, and it works beautifully to keep the iPad quiet overnight while still bringing your memories back to life first thing in the morning.

Give it a try, and let me know how it goes.

Manuel

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